Chapter 21: Malice from Humanity

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Guo Hanxue had an almost deceptive feeling that, after Jiang Yi’s guidance the day before, her way of fighting had become increasingly concise and efficient. Four zombies had been taken down without her even using the slightest bit of her abilities. What she didn’t realize was that each time she killed a zombie, her strength increased just a little, and even the energy within her body grew more condensed.

There was no time for Guo Hanxue to ponder these changes carefully. The two of them grabbed their backpacks and, with Guo Hanxue leading, quickly headed toward the gymnasium. The women’s dormitory was still a fair distance from the gym where the archery team was gathered.

Fortunately, it was daytime now, and there were fewer zombies on the road. Both moved at a speed far beyond that of ordinary humans. Even if zombies noticed them, before the undead could gather, they had already slipped beyond their perception range.

However, this rapid pace couldn’t last too long—not due to Guo Hanxue’s stamina, but because Jiang Yi was beginning to struggle. His physical constitution was only at level four, less than half that of a normal person, placing Jiang Yi in an awkward predicament with very low endurance.

“Huff… I can’t keep up. Slow down,” Jiang Yi gasped, his breath ragged. Fully aware of his weakness, he urgently called out to Guo Hanxue, unwilling to exhaust his stamina. If zombies suddenly appeared, he would be defenseless.

Compared to Jiang Yi’s exhaustion, Guo Hanxue’s face was only faintly flushed, her breathing nearly unchanged. Thankfully, no zombies were visible nearby, and the sun shone brighter, driving the undead to hide in shadowy corners.

They slowed to a cautious pace. Displeased with Jiang Yi’s frailty, Guo Hanxue took his backpack from him, sharing the burden and giving him much-needed respite.

As their speed dropped, scattered zombies began to gather around. Jiang Yi didn’t let Guo Hanxue fight. With swift strikes, he beheaded the zombies blocking their path, and the two hurried toward the gymnasium. From afar, the silhouette of the building came into view. Guo Hanxue’s excitement grew. “We’re almost there.”

Jiang Yi exhaled in relief. Since the apocalypse, it was the first time he had traveled such a distance. Honestly, his heart had been on edge the whole way, fearing the worst. But everything had gone smoothly so far. They just needed to cross the forest ahead to reach their destination.

Suddenly, Guo Hanxue spun around sharply, eyes fixed on a nearby trail.

Jiang Yi instantly became alert. Amidst a raucous clamor, a terrified boy tumbled out of the path, scrambling for safety. Before Jiang Yi could react, several snarling zombies surged out behind him.

Jiang Yi’s pupils contracted. His gaze locked on a smaller, more agile zombie at the front.

This zombie wasn’t particularly large, but its legs were noticeably longer than those of a regular human, allowing it to run much faster than ordinary zombies. It nearly caught the boy as it closed in.

“Help! Please save me!” the boy cried in desperation. If he weren’t a skilled runner, he would have been caught by this swift zombie several times over.

Dodging the mutated zombie’s grasp, the boy spotted Jiang Yi and Guo Hanxue and his face lit up. Shouting, he sprinted frantically toward them.

Guo Hanxue gasped, “Li Shan?”

Li Shan recognized Guo Hanxue as well. Evidently, they knew each other, and without hesitation, he rushed toward them.

Jiang Yi cursed quietly and turned to run. He had already seen the crimson glow flickering on the forehead of that strange zombie.

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Another advanced zombie!

Guo Hanxue saw it too and followed Jiang Yi’s lead. Li Shan, seeing them flee, panicked.

God knew how long he had been running to escape that terrifying zombie, his stamina nearly spent. Now that he had finally encountered living people, he wasn’t about to let the chance slip away. Gritting his teeth, Li Shan sprinted with a speed almost rivaling Jiang Yi’s.

The zombie and its minions pursued relentlessly, closing in on the edge of the woods near the gym.

Jiang Yi’s eyes brightened. If they could reach the trees, their complex terrain would help them shake off the undead.

Just as Jiang Yi turned to yell at Guo Hanxue to run into the forest, he saw Li Shan grab Guo Hanxue’s clothes with malicious intent. Amid her startled screams, Li Shan violently threw her backward.

Guo Hanxue was stunned. She didn’t expect this betrayal and momentarily forgot to resist. Losing balance, she fell backward.

The advanced zombie behind Li Shan extended its sharp claws, grabbing Guo Hanxue’s clothing, ready to sink its teeth into her neck.

A cold, sinister smile flickered across Li Shan’s face. As long as someone fed the zombies for him, he was confident he could escape unscathed with his championship-level long-distance running speed.

Despair filled Guo Hanxue’s eyes as she looked at Li Shan’s hypocritical face. She never imagined that someone who once sought to win her heart would do such a thing.

Suddenly, a slender arm grasped Guo Hanxue’s wrist, halting her fall. A forceful pull yanked her back, and the zombie’s claws just scraped her clothes, unable to attack before she was rescued.

The sudden turn of events stunned Li Shan. Then he saw a face brimming with deadly intent.

Like lightning, Jiang Yi yanked Guo Hanxue back and delivered a flying kick straight to Li Shan’s chest.

“Agh!” No one expected such a sudden change. Li Shan hadn’t yet come to his senses from excitement. Pain exploded in his chest as he was sent flying backward.

He collapsed against something, stopping his fall. Before relief could set in, a sharp pain stabbed into his back as if a drill had pierced his body.

Struggling to look back, he saw a gaping maw tearing into his throat, blood spraying everywhere.

The gruesome scene triggered all the zombies around. They pinned the struggling Li Shan to the ground, tearing him apart. His screams filled the air as he desperately tried to rise, but he never got the chance again.

The advanced zombie devoured chunks of flesh eagerly but did not continue eating Li Shan’s corpse. Its eyes shifted to the other two targets before it.

Guo Hanxue was still stunned by the chaos, while Jiang Yi wore a fierce expression without a trace of fear toward Li Shan’s death.

Though he had only recently gained his abilities, Jiang Yi believed firmly that killing a human in this apocalypse was far easier than killing a zombie.

As for guilt, Jiang Yi had long since swallowed that feeling along with his dry bread in this cruel new world.

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Guo Hanxue was momentarily stunned, but Jiang Yi pushed her forward. “You handle the regular zombies. I’ll hold off this one!” With that, he brandished his black blade and charged at the advanced zombie.

Provoked, the advanced zombie roared, its mouth foaming with blood. Jiang Yi swung to sever its head—an attack that should have landed flawlessly—but the zombie twisted oddly, and the blade cut through empty air.

Jiang Yi faltered for a moment but had no time to ponder. He launched a furious assault against the zombie.

Guo Hanxue recovered quickly. Although Jiang Yi’s earlier actions had unsettled her, thinking about Li Shan’s betrayal left her with no room to blame Jiang Yi. Her frustration demanded release, and the horde of zombies before her became her punching bags.

A flash of wind, and her red firefighting axe brutally smashed open a zombie’s skull.

Jiang Yi’s blade was swift, but the zombie’s own movements were unnervingly fast. Its extraordinary speed made it a formidable opponent, easily evading Jiang Yi’s sharp strikes and even threatening him several times.

Jiang Yi’s brow twitched. He realized this advanced zombie was unlike the two he had seen before. Its speed surpassed his own, allowing it to dodge attacks effortlessly, nearly injuring him repeatedly.

He managed to strike away its arm, breathing heavily, his arm aching. Yet his eyes gleamed brightly. Though fast, this zombie’s strength was noticeably weaker than the others—only slightly larger than Jiang Yi himself.

If he could control its speed, his own strength should suffice to hold it off.

His mind racing, Jiang Yi glanced at Guo Hanxue, who was furiously hacking at the common zombies. Confirming she was fine, he pushed the advanced zombie’s arm aside, shot it a sly smile, and turned to run.

After failing to catch its prey for a long time, the zombie grew furious. Seeing its quarry flee, its simple mind didn’t hesitate—it roared and gave chase.

Guo Hanxue fought fiercely, glancing anxiously toward Jiang Yi’s direction. Seeing him narrowly avoid injury multiple times, her axe strikes grew even more ferocious, desperate to come to his aid.

When Jiang Yi signaled and dashed into the forest, Guo Hanxue no longer felt betrayed. Watching the advanced zombie pursue Jiang Yi into the woods, she grew more determined, her axe swinging relentlessly.

Energy surged wildly within her, like a lioness awakened from slumber, radiating deadly intent. The power instinctively gathered along her arm to her axe.

A faint, almost imperceptible blue glow spiraled around the blade. Guo Hanxue struck a zombie’s chest with a fierce blow. The air split with sharp force, sending the creature flying backward, its chest shattered, blood spraying everywhere.

Without hesitation, she swung her axe again, cleaving its skull in two.

Several zombies remained before her. Guo Hanxue cut down more than ten in rapid succession, feeling no significant fatigue. Anxiety propelled her on, her axe flashing like a whirlwind, breaking the limbs of the monsters before her. Their deaths were brutal and merciless.